Putting Students First: A Game Plan for Personalizing Learning

This book is part memoir and part history, sharing the story of what is possible when like-minded educators work together to address radical change. The narrative, written by one who lived it, shares the journey of the district, the experts who helped guide them and the practical applications that are in place to support the concept of personalization of learning.

Table of Contents:
FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION PART I. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Michael Robinson’s story (in his own words) Chapter 1: Putting Students First - Words Matter Chapter 2: Guided By Theory, Research, and Practitioners Chapter 3: Professional Agency Chapter 4: Sustaining Growth Chapter 5: Ensuring Equity and Excellence PART II. THE GAME PLAN Chapter 6: The Game Plan for Professional Agency Chapter 7: The Game Plan for Student Agency PART III: IMPLICATIONS Chapter 8: Focus On Core Beliefs BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES Springdale School District Playbook Personal Learning Plan Sample: Kindergarten Personal Learning Plan Sample: Grade 1 Personal Learning Plan Sample: Grade 2 Student Advisory Program Implementation Survey Advisory Program Implementation Checklist

About the Author :
Marsha Jones is a 40 plus year veteran of education with a breadth of experiences in the classroom and at the district level. Personalizing education for each student has been her life’s ambition whether working in the elementary classroom, with special needs children, high school students or currently with graduate students. Laureen Avery leads the work of UCLA’s Center X efforts in the Northeastern US, and has more than 30 years of experience in K-12 public education as a researcher and practitioner. Avery developed and leads whole school improvement programs focused on improving outcomes for English learners and at-risk students. Joe DiMartino is founder and president of the Center for Secondary School Redesign, (CSSR) a nationally recognized provider of technical assistance to districts and schools that are personalizing learning for adolescents. For the past two decades, CSSR has been a strong advocate for including student voice and choice in their education. Mr. DiMartino has been named the national expert on high school redesign by ASCD and received the Distinguished Service to Education Award by NASSP.

Review :
Springdale’s journey to personalization will inspire communities and educators. With a shared commitment to “putting students first”, Springdale has been able to turn challenges into opportunity. They never lose sight that personalization begins with understanding that both students and adults are learners. Transforming schools and systems requires vision, tenacity, and courage. As you read Putting Students First, you will find a narrative rich with specific practices that harness student voiced choice in meaningful ways. By personalizing education, the Springdale, AR School District is demonstrating that transformation is worth the journey. Immerse your heart in these pages! Putting Students First is a book written from first-hand experience by an author who has been instrumental in designing and implementing “personalizing learning” in the Springdale Schools. Marsha Jones was a leader in fostering student-focused instruction in the Springdale Schools including the federally supported (Race to the Top) Don Tyson School of Innovation. Through the National Office for Research Measurement and Evaluation, we have served as evaluators for numerous programs in the Springdale School District, including the new Don Tyson School of Innovation. As evaluators we analyzed data and witnessed firsthand the student-focused concepts of this book being put into practice and the difference it makes in the lives of students. When students can make choices about the content or structure of learning and the school uses a variety of instructional approaches and curriculum materials to meet the learning needs of all students, students are motivated to achieve more. It is exciting that students today have the opportunity to be educated in a way that best benefits them resulting in them being much better prepared to take their place in a global society. This book is timely because it encompasses the benefits of personalized learning and the success educators and students have when student-focused instruction is implemented. Putting Students First is an important contribution to the narrative of how student-focused educators are shaping the future of learning one classroom, school, and in this case, one district at a time. Unique because of the size of Springdale School District, this book tells an inspiring story that parallels the work we are seeing in smaller schools across Arkansas and the nation. Hearing the impact of this work directly from students underscores the transformation that happens when adults work to help students take charge of their learning; and thus, their futures. It reminds and energizes us to stay the course—it is a long, yet fruitful journey when you decide to put students first! Putting Students First is an important contribution to the narrative of how student-focused educators are shaping the future of learning one classroom, school, and in this case, one district at a time. Unique because of the size of Springdale School District, this book tells an inspiring story that parallels the work we are seeing in smaller schools across Arkansas and the nation. Hearing the impact of this work directly from students underscores the transformation that happens when adults work to help students take charge of their learning; and thus, their futures. It reminds and energizes us to stay the course—it is a long, yet fruitful journey when you decide to put students first! As the parent of three children who attended Springdale Schools, I celebrate the arrival of this book as a validation of high expectations held for a district explicitly and demonstrably committed to teaching “all students”!! The implementation of student-focused learning, in all its schools and at all levels, is the logical outcome of a district led at the top by a team driven to find ways to support the success of ALL students. As an advocate for students receiving special education, I have been acutely aware that success means playing to the strengths of students rather than their deficits. This book paints a clear picture of a method and a process that leads to the implementation of education focused on supporting each student’s strengths and interests. Such “personalized learning,” as described here, and the concept of student “voice and choice” make clear student success requires all stakeholders, not just teachers and students, but parents and community members to buy in and to participate. Reading this book has given me such a sense of hope that public education, as practiced in Springdale, is on the right track to student success.